


Snails & Puppy Dog Tails

by distantdreaming



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Attempt at Humor, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I'm hopeless, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Welcome back I didn't last very long did I, Will's POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-07-19 10:00:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7356718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/distantdreaming/pseuds/distantdreaming
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When they met, Nico was a sullen kid with a lot of pent up grief and rage, and now that it’s been a few years he has not at all mellowed out, and instead taken what seems to be a triple espresso shot of pure, unadulterated personality.<br/>He’s sassy, he’s snarky, he’s sarcastic, he is every synonym for being a <i>total little shit</i> that Will can possibly come up with.<br/>--<br/>Yes.<br/>I did it.<br/>Here's the Hogwarts AU you guys wanted, you're welcome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Maybe I’m just a kid in love, oh baby, if this is what it’s like falling in love, then I don’t ever wanna grow up.

**Author's Note:**

> I lasted all of, like, a week? Wow, I'm weak as fuck.  
> I DON'T CAAARE. I realized this would be in Will's POV before I even thought of what I'd do with the au, and now here we are. I have a challenge for you guys, since I'm already fucking working on what is sure to be another ridiculously long fic about these nerds; tell me your headcanons for houses for everyone. Tell me _why_ you think so. I'm torn on a few of them, so I want as much input as possible so I can see what I agree with and what sticks out to me and what I haven't thought of.  
>  Also, I'm going back to the lyrics thing. The playlist was fun, and the words were hard as fuck, so I'm bringing back the lyrics. Title subject to change, but rn it's off that nursery rhyme of what little girls are made of, etc.  
> Now, without further ado, I bring you the first of many chapters featuring Will being a sunstruck fool. Enjoy.

Nico’s less like morning sunshine and more like straight black coffee at the absolute crack of dawn, dark and rich and strong enough to give your entire day a good kick in the ass to get it rolling.

This is more so due to the actual kicking Nico does and he shoves Will out from under the warm blankets and onto the cold wood floor, but those are just details, right?

He groans from where his cheek rests against the disgustingly chilly floorboards, staring blurrily at the dust bunnies under the bed as his eyes adjust to being awake. “You’re such a dick.”

He can hear Nico’s chuckles from above and to the left, and he wants to tickle him, or sit on him, or push  _ him _ off the bed, but it’s probably not even fucking seven in the morning and he rises  _ with _ the sun, not before it. Nico’s just a damn insomniac that gets bored with watching Will sleep after a while and sometimes decides to start mornings like this.

It’s funny, really, that such a small dude can have such a big attitude. Nico’s, like,  _ maybe _ five seven, and weighs about the same as your average large dog. He’s all wiry muscle and sarcasm, though, and Will has absolutely  _ zero _ doubt in Nico’s ability to thoroughly beat his ass in any physical contest ever, but that’s not the point. 

Will just doesn’t understand how it’s always the smaller people that have the most rage.

Clearly, he’s wasting too much time acquainting himself with the floor for Nico’s tastes, because he receives a pillow smack to the back of his head and one of Nico’s long, annoying ( _ precious _ ) whines.

It’s weird.

When they met, Nico was a sullen kid with a lot of pent up grief and rage, and now that it’s been a few years he has not at all mellowed out, and instead taken what seems to be a triple espresso shot of pure, unadulterated personality.

He’s sassy, he’s snarky, he’s sarcastic, he is every synonym for being a  _ total little shit _ that Will can possibly come up with. 

He is also probably the funniest person Will has ever met, somehow managing flawless deadpan humor even in the middle of a funeral (Will’s Great-Great Aunt Pearl had  _ not _ been pleased her husband didn’t get the  _ proper respect and honor _ at his viewing, but she’d dressed him in his favorite suit, which happened to be a garish red and green pinstripe that no one had had the heart to explain to the colorblind couple…and Nico had hummed  _ Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer _ under his breath and Will had to muffle himself  _ losing his shit _ in the corner laughing and try to avoid the scathing glares of his entire extended family).

(It had been dead fucking boring and depressing until Nico had arrived late to the party in a suit and with perfect arsenal of  _ What To Say When You Don’t Care Someone Died _ ™ that utterly  _ saved _ Will’s ass from his mother’s ranting.)

Anywho, Nico’s still whacking him with the pillow, and his whines are now loud, obnoxious, purposely annoying groans. It’s enough for Will to roll over, snatch the pillow, and smack Nico directly in the face.

He stops groaning instantly, and stares until it clicks in Will’s still-waking brain that he’s just started what is sure to be another Great War of pillow fighting.

He only has seconds to roll up and start running before Nico’s off the bed and running after him, cackling.

***

There’s a week left before they start classes again, and it’s clear Nico’s impatient with the lack of magic around them. 

Nico’s half-blood, his dad’s from some super long and elite pureblood family line, and he’s used to be surrounded by spells and charms at all times. Hell, he takes a potion to go to sleep every night when he’s home.

Will, though, is muggleborn.

Nico, despite the magical atmosphere, absolutely  _ detests _ being stuck home and dealing with his entire family, though Will’s pretty sure the major problem is his bitchy stepmom, who has nearly turned him into a plant on various occasions. Nico’s determined to stay as far from her as he reasonably can, forever, and that’s hard to do when she lives in his house (his fucking  _ mansion _ , really), so he says with Will for all the holidays and the majority of the summer if Will can convince his parents.

Thankfully, Will’s mom is about as stubborn as Nico is, and she’s basically planned to pseudo-adopt Nico for as long as she can, since he has a way of being the perfect son around her and the absolute biggest menace around him, but that’s alright.

Will likes trouble when it comes in the form of a small Italian boy with messy bedhead and enough strength to effortlessly tackle him to the floor whenever he feels like he isn’t getting enough attention.

Or, if they’re already on the floor, to roll on top of him and pout.

The pillow fight had gone on for over twenty minutes before they’d tumbled to the floor of the sitting room, where they’re still laying right now, recovering from all the laughing.

Apparently, Nico is fully recovered, and bored again, because he’s sprawled on top of Will and doing his frustratingly irresistible puppy eyes. Thankfully, this is a thing he tries relatively often, and Will knows if he can’t  _ see _ the expression, there’s little to no extra sway on him than Nico usually has. He lifts an arm, smirks, and drops it over his eyes.

It works for all of two seconds before Nico jabs his fingers into Will’s armpit in retaliation and Will totally doesn’t shriek.

***

Nico wasn’t always this touchy.

Will remembers when he’s shy away from anyone, even Will, and when he’d only voluntarily touch someone when he was asleep. 

Slowly, as first year transitioned to second, third, and fourth, Nico’s walls slid down, and he began to reach for Will when he needed to say something. After that, it was a matter of time before he let himself be as tactile as he needed, and now Nico’s happier glued to Will’s side than he is anywhere else, and Will is  _ not _ complaining. 

Nico still doesn’t really reach out to touch anyone else, but that’s alright. Will kind of likes the attention, and Nico doesn’t shy away from them, either. He just doesn’t initiate it like he does with Will. He’d said something once about trusting Will more than anyone else, and it’s such an honor it makes Will’s chest ache whenever he thinks about it.

At eleven, he wasn’t expecting to meet the boy that would pluck his heart right out of his chest before he could realize what was happening, but now, at sixteen, Nico holds not only his heart, but probably everything else, too. They’re not dating, or anything, but Will has absolutely no desire to give this kind of attention to anyone else.

Nico’s never said anything about his sexuality outright, but Will’s about eighty percent sure he’d had a crush on Percy Jackson, Slytherin’s resident dorky bad boy, when they were younger. He’s not sure if the crush is still ongoing or if it’s faded, but he doesn’t really care, if he’s being honest. He doesn’t need anything from Nico that Nico’s not willing to give, and what they have now is already really incredible and more of a connection than he’d ever thought he’d have with anyone.

Will’s gay as hell, of course.

He’s never brought it up, not even to his parents, but he knows they know because he came home after fourth year to his bedspread switched from boring white to rainbow. He’d laughed, wrapped himself in the comforter, and eaten breakfast like that. They haven’t discussed it since, but it’s nice. It’s natural, not like he needs to announce it. He’s just Will, who likes boys, and it’s as much a simple thing as is the fact that he has blue eyes and blond hair. It’s not something that needs to be announced or discussed. 

He grew up learning he might one day like girls, maybe boys, maybe both, and any combination was okay. Even, his mom had said, if you like neither, or something in between.

It was nice, growing up in a household like this.

His mom liked both boys and girls, and his dad really only liked his mom. He had three aunts and one uncle, and a cousin that was mid-transition so she could finally have a body that matched her soul.

Hearing that people actually thought things like that weren’t right kind of…messed with Will’s head. How could they claim to know what’s wrong and right? Who were they to decide?

He’s knocked out of his thoughts when Nico shifts, going from curled against his side playing his DS (Nico fell in love with video games the second he discovered what they were and spent a lot of time beating all Will’s games before Will figured out the first puzzle in them) to laying down, his head in Will’s lap.

Instinctively, Will’s hand slid into his ridiculously soft hair, stroking, and Nico practically purred, eyes not leaving the screen he held above his head.

He gives up on reading over the essay he was to turn in when classes started, tossing the pen ( _ fuck _ quills, he has no time to keep refilling the fucking ink, it wasn’t worth the aesthetic) aside and leaning back on his free hand, stroking through Nico’s hair again and again.

The battle music played from the game’s tiny speakers, and Nico’s expression was a concentrated face with his tongue just slightly poking out, and it reminded Will of a puppy and made his chest feel warm.

After a few moments more, the victory tune played, and Nico beamed up at him.

Whenever Nico smiled like that, it felt like the sun sucker punched Will, because he always forgot how to breathe for a moment, caught up in the beauty of that smile. This time was no different, but he’d gotten good at recovery, so he smiled back only a second later, and then pushed Nico’s head off his lap. “You’re heavy.”

Nico laughed, sitting up and shutting the game, leaving his hands free to shove Will back onto the floor. “I am not! You weigh more than I do!”

“Hazel’s  _ cat _ weighs more than you do!” Will countered, pulling Nico with him as they fell back. “Hell, a  _ pebble _ probably weighs more than you do!”

Nico smirked, and then went ragdoll limp, falling onto Will’s chest and knocking out his air for a moment, giggling all the while.

Will coughed, rolling his eyes and pushing his fingers up Nico’s shirt, tickling mercilessly until Nico rolled off, wheezing with laughter.

Nico’s hair was now even more of a mess than usual, curls in his eyes, resting against the edges of his flushed cheeks, inky black and glossy. Will felt his heart swell at the sight, at the size of Nico’s genuine smile, at the warmth of all that happiness. This week had been a fantastic one, as Nico’s days had been good, one after another.

It’s not always this bright, but he adores it when it is. Nico should feel this happy all the time, not just when he’s staying with Will and away from all the shit he has to deal with at home and at school.

Instead, the world seems determined to try and drag Nico down, as he had the worst luck of anyone Will had ever encountered. Murphy’s Law seemed to orchestrate his every waking moment, almost.

Nico had adored his mother, so she died tragically. He loved his older sister more than anything in the world, and she too died tragically. He had some stability with his dad, so his dad remarried and the stepmother decided she hated Nico. He got to school, and was the only one in his family that didn’t get sorted into Gryffindor or Slytherin. He developed a crush on Percy, and Percy got a gorgeous, perfect girlfriend. 

It was actually ridiculous. The only thing that made Nico happy that hadn’t been ruined so far seemed to be Will, and Will was braced to fight the entire universe if it meant things could stay that way. He refused to be another tragedy, another reason for Nico’s night terrors, another blow to Nico’s already fragile psyche.

Instead, he would be the rock, the lighthouse in the storm, and the beacon of safety. Nico would always find a safe space in him, with him, and that he was determined to do. 

***

Does he love Nico?

Yes, of course he does.

Would he put Nico’s life over his own?

Always, all the time, for any reason.

Would he sacrifice his own happiness for Nico’s?

Without hesitation.

But will he ever bring any of this up?

Ha, no.

Nico’s skittish when it comes to romantic anything and everything, and he tends to get really uncomfortable whenever there're jokes about how close he and Will are, so Will’s been on a multi-year mission to warn literally everyone at Hogwarts to never bring it up, ever.

So far, so good, because no one has made Nico uncomfortable to the point of him distancing, so it’s a manageable thing. Still, Will’s a worrier, and Nico is his biggest source, so he worries about this just like he does over if Nico’s eating well or if he’s had enough sleep.

Will is also the mom friend.

Will also carries snacks, a first aid kit, and emergency pads and tampons for the half of the group with uteruses.

What? He put an Undetectable Extension Charm on his backpack, it’s great. He also has several books, a tea set, two decks of cards, and a tent and sleeping bags, just in case he gets stuck anywhere ever.

So far, he’s used about half the items, but still. He feels safer having them on him, and he’ lost count of the number of times Drew Tanaka has thanked him hurriedly before running to a bathroom screaming for no one to look at her. 

***

Platform 9¾ is packed.

There're families everywhere, and it’s claustrophobic as fuck, which means Nico’s shaking a little as he clings to Will’s side.

Will wraps an arm around his shoulders to try and shelter him from the worst of it, using his height and the length of his arms to bat away the crowd. He gets a lot of dirty looks, but he really doesn’t care, and he doesn’t have the patience for people that like to squeeze in the gaps between what is clearly a group. Go  _ around _ , you asshole.

He spots Jason’s big head easily, and beside him, Piper’s got all these feathers woven into her hair, and Thalia’s black pixie cut is streaked with electric blue. He heads in that direction, and if the parting of the crowd coming towards Jason from another direction is any sign, Annabeth has probably spotted them, so Percy’s not far behind.

When they finally reach the others, Will almost laughs. 

Everyone’s got their suitcases in a circle, making a bubble of stubborn space amidst all the families waving goodbye and all that. Will, Percy, and Annabeth are pretty much the only ones with decent parents, since everyone else has someone missing or someone distant, or whatever. They’re not the kind of kids to cling and cry when they leave, but more of the kind to ditch at King’s Cross and head into the magical world alone. 

Nico visibly relaxes when they enter the bubble, and Will’s never as grateful for the dysfunctional family of misfit friends they share as he is when they help Nico feel safe.

The greetings they exchanged are as diverse as they are; Piper hugs  _ everyone, _ Thalia just punches various body parts, Nico dodges all touching and nods here and there, Jason and Percy spend five straight minutes reaffirming their bromance, Annabeth greets everyone differently, according to what they prefer, etcetera. Personally, Will’s more of a lazy wave and sometimes hug kinda guy. He’s open to any warm greeting, but he’s not gonna chase anyone to get one.

Besides.

If he doesn’t move much, he can keep his arm around Nico’s shoulders.

***

The compartment contains Hazel, Frank, Leo, Calypso, Nico, and Will. They’d shut the door in Percy’s face so they didn’t need to sit through two hours of Jason and him challenging each other at everything from Exploding Snap to arm wrestling. This way, it’s calmer.

Well, as calm as it can be when you’re with Leo Valdez.

There’s a bang and a puff of pink and purple smoke in the first ten seconds, but then Leo’s flourishing a bouquet of really pretty flowers where he’d been holding broken quills from the bottom of his bag, so it’s alright. Hazel and Calypso are pleased with the gifts, at any rate.

Frank is not a talker, but he’s a soothing, warm presence. He’s shaped exactly like a teddy bear, and Hazel fits against his side like a puzzle piece. They’re adorable, really; for what she lacks in height, Hazel makes up for in a mane of glorious honey curls, and Frank’s adoring expression is directed at her so often it’s really no wonder he doesn’t participate a lot in conversations.

What he does say is usually really funny or really interesting, so Will has realized he’s less asocial and more one of those people that don't waste breath filling a silence. As Leo is dead opposite, there’s some kind of balance, and though the conversation is constant, it’s not too overwhelming.

Calypso is still the only one that seems to be able to keep up with how fast Leo’s brain works, and she makes it look like everyone else is just not smart enough with the easy grace of responding promptly with relevant answers before they’ve even processed half the word vomit Leo has just emitted.

When Leo gets excited, he talks even faster.

Leo is always excited about something, apparently.

Nico’s utterly zoned out, staring out the window and watching the scenery slide by, chin stacked on his knees.

Hazel and Frank are talking quietly, Leo’s going a mile a minute about something or other and Calypso’s giving him the attention he deserves, so Will’s free to reach over and tug Nico until he uncurls and relaxes into Will’s side, instead.

Nico doesn’t look over at him, but it’s still very comfortable, as Will can now lean into his corner and have the warm weight of Nico against his side, and Nico lets him pet those beautiful black curls all he likes.

 


	2. We'll scream loud at the top of our lungs, and they'll think it's just 'cause we're young.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have sorted the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are the sweetest things, and I'm overwhelmed by the rush of support and detailed hcs you guys left me, so thank you, thank you, thank you! I expand on the sortings in the end notes, so read that if you're curious as to why everyone is where they are.  
> \--  
> The Great Escape - Boys Like Girls

When they arrive, they are a mix and match of tie colors, the biggest example of interhouse friendship in the entire school. 

As they reach the Great Hall, the group splits, sorting into the four tables. Will’s yellow tie guides him to the rest of the Hufflepuffs, Nico still by his side. They sit across from Hazel and Frank, and next to Piper. 

Zeus begins his usual long-winded and theatrical speech, and Will can see Jason lightly banging his head against the Gryffindor table as it goes on, while Reyna watches him with amusement. This is a yearly thing, really, and also any other time Jason’s father makes any sort of speech.

Quite a few of them are kids of faculty members, really; Will’s own father, Apollo, teaches Flying, Divination, and Art, the last of which is not a large class. Nico’s stepmom does Herbology, which is why he’d dropped the subject at the onset of his fifth year. 

He’s not paying even the slightest attention to Zeus’s speech, lost in thought of how they all got here and how damn lucky he is to manage it with all these losers he calls his friends, but he’s back in the present instantly when the food appears. 

He and Frank race, stacking their plates with everything they can reach, much to Hazel’s amusement. Nico, as always, picks at the few things he will eat, and serves himself little portions. He and Will are both fully aware he’ll end up picking off of Will’s plate, but they don’t bother pointing it out. Will doesn’t mind, especially not if it means Nico’s voluntarily eating more. 

Frank wins as he stacks a sausage on top of a mashed potato and gravy volcano, and Will snorts, fitting an entire yorkshire pudding in his mouth and almost moaning with delight.

The feasts are his favorite, and his metabolism allows him to eat the entire table and still have room for dessert, so he gets as far as he can before the food disappears again. 

He can feel Nico’s eye roll, and he grins around his mouthful when he glances over.

Nico makes a face, delicately cutting his roasted tomatoes. “You’re gross.”

Will swallows, and steals the other half of Nico’s tomato.

Without missing a beat, Nico puts the other half in his mouth and steals Will’s other yorkshire pudding, which means he has to do the annoying process of asking Kiki Tanner to pass the platter down again. She’s nice about it, but Will likes to just have everything he plans to eat already on his plate. He takes two more just to be safe, since he has a feeling Nico’s not done stealing.

This is confirmed as Will’s carrots have mysteriously vanished by the time he hands the platter back, and Nico’s innocently cutting up a sausage into bite-sized pieces.

Will can’t help but grin like a fool, because he’s so far over the moon for this kid that things like this are just  _ endearing. _

He’s such a  _ sap _ , Nico’s totally valid calling him out on it at every opportunity. 

***

It’s probably around two in the morning when Nico wakes him, crawling under his sheets to press against his side.

He grins, unable to help it, and wraps one arm around Nico’s waist, letting him steal the other for a pillow.

Nico doesn’t sleep well alone, so once the other two boys in their room fall asleep (he and Will aren’t friends with them, they’re loud, overly enthusiastic kids that are far too tactile for Nico and far too hyper for Will), he joins Will. Since Will wakes with the sun without fail, he puts Nico back in his own bed before getting ready for the day, and it’s in this way that no one’s figured it out yet, even though it’s been happening since Second Year.

He doesn’t need to ask if Nico’s had a nightmare, because he already knows the answer is yes. Instead, he kisses Nico’s forehead and closes his eyes again, falling asleep much easier this time around with the scent of dark chocolate and rich espresso filling his senses.

***

The week flies by, and everyone falls back into the groove of classes, homework, and shutting down the stereotypes for the respective houses. Annabeth shames them all with her overachieving, proudly flaunting her silver and green tie with Percy at her side, and Leo’s already missed two homework assignments, along with his blue and bronze tie (he says he had it when he arrived, but Leo’s generally disheveled at best, so no one can really remember if he’s telling the truth, but either way it’s missing now).

They meet as they always do on the shore of the lake, sitting in a really inaccurate representation of a circle, bemoaning the annoyances of school and praising the return of being able to use magic. 

Well, until Leo transfigures the feathers in Piper’s hair into banana peels, and she throws him in the lake, Jason at her side. Calypso stays seated comfortably on the grass, waving as Leo pops up and yells Spanish insults that sound way too delighted for anyone to take seriously. Never one to be left out of trouble, Percy’s up as well, and he and Jason start transfiguring all Leo’s things into weirdly textured rubber ducks.

Nico’s laughing, hard, and Will’s barely even watching the shenanigans because Nico always looks really pretty when he laughs, all flushed cheeks, bright eyes, and warm smile. Nico catches him watching, as he always does, and he laughs harder, also like always.

This is because Will pulls a face whenever he senses Nico’s about to turn his head, and it never fails to keep his laughter going. Nico’s never questioned why Will’s literally always already looking at him, so it’s so far, so good in terms of Will’s obnoxiously large crush flying right over Nico’s unbelievably oblivious head.

Nico’s one of the most obtuse people Will has ever encountered when it comes to picking up on other people’s emotions, and this is literally the only reason he has not figured out Will’s in love with him.

Because, really?

_ Every _ single other person in their collective friend group already knows, and about half the school aside from that as well.

Will regularly thanks the heavens that none of their friends are assholes and none of them have tried butting in, because — and he loves these people, every last dorky one of them — there isn’t a single person he’d trust to not fuck it up.

Hell, he doesn’t trust  _ himself _ to not fuck it up, which is why he’s letting Nico continue living in blissful ignorance for as long as possible.

In the midst of the mayhem, Percy must have started charming  _ everything _ to turn blue ( _ again _ ), because next thing he knows, Nico’s pretty black hair is a deep midnight blue.

Nico figures it out only half a breath later, when one of his curls slips over his eyes.

He freezes, mid laugh, and Will’s inner momma badger is roaring protectively. He doesn’t move, though, because he’s aware Nico is fully capable of handling and protecting himself when it comes to other people doing the damage.

He’s got his wand in his hand in less than a second, and Percy’s entire outfit turns neon yellow with violet polka dots.

Percy yells, but he’s laughing too hard to fire anything back, and Jason actually cries from how hard he laughs, face red.

“You’re all children!” Annabeth says, sitting straighter. “Childish spells, when you can do something like this!”

She flicks her wand, and Percy’s suddenly wearing a garish yellow and violet ballgown. There isn’t a single person in the circle that isn’t laughing, and Jason genuinely looks like he’s having trouble breathing. 

Even though Will’s laughing himself, there’s still a part of his mind that’s noting that Nico looks really nice with blue hair.

***

“I’m tired,” Nico says several hours later, his hair normal again and his top button undone.

They’re sprawled on the floor of the Room of Requirement — which has become a common room decked out luxuriously in all four house colors — spectating a rather vicious game of oversized Wizard’s Chess, using Leo’s custom twice-the-size-of-a-normal-set board and pieces. Besides the size, his pieces are also all dressed in really ridiculous costumes, and criticize not just the other player, but the other side of the board, each other, and Leo himself…but mainly Leo. Apparently, nothing Leo does will fix this, but that’s just because no one’s told him Calypso has charmed them to heckle him until he shrinks them back to the right size.

It’s Annabeth versus Reyna, and Leo’s not even playing, but still the clown king of the white side of the board shouts that Leo has a bad haircut.

Leo flips off the board in entirely.  __ “Shut up!  _ ¡Vete a la chingada! _ ”

Reyna grins. “I like this set. Where can I get one?”

“It’s not for sale,  _ chica _ , and it’s still got some  _ issues. _ ” Leo glared hard at the clown king as he emphasized the last word. “But I’ll fix them soon.”

Annabeth’s unicorn knight hacked Reyna’s disco pawn to pieces, and her mime queen shook her fist angrily.

Nico prodded Will in the side, pulling his attention away from the girls and reminding him of ow persistent Nico is when he wants something. “I’m tired,” he repeated, petulant.

Will grinned, curling an arm around his shoulders and tugging him close. “So nap. I wanna watch how this ends.”

He whined quietly, but got comfortable against Will’s side anyway.

Will shifted, letting his arm slide down to curl around Nico’s waist instead, breathing in the warm scent of him and leaning back into the giant plush cushion he and Nico had claimed. It was black, of course, but there were little golden stars speckled all over it.

After a moment, Nico tilted his head back, catching Will staring, again. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Will replied automatically. “I like your hair.”

“Thanks,” Nico says, already starting to grin. “I like your eyeballs.”

“I like your feet,” Will shoots back, slipping into the game easily. Siblings always bickered about what they hated about each other, and friends joked as well, but not Nico and Will. Instead, they went for most ridiculous compliment.

“I like the way you mispronounce your Latin,” Nico said smugly, knowing Will always fumbled with the family mottos every pureblood seemed to come with.

“I like the way you think every coffee is shit unless it’s Italian and brewed in a specific way.” Will pressed his fingertips into Nico’s side, right where he knew Nico was ticklish.

For his efforts, Nico elbows him in the stomach none too gently. “I like the way you cry at the end of good books and your face gets all red and your eyes get super blue and you flop around all dramatically.”

“I like the way you can’t shave yet.” Will thumbed the edge of Nico’s smooth jaw with his free hand.

Nico rolled his eyes and knocked Will’s hand away. “I like the way you’re a giant sappy, cheesy, lame nerd with shiny hair.”

“You guys are gross,” Leo says flatly, ushering the chess pieces into a conjured box, prodding the clown king a little too hard in the ass with the tip of his wand. “Like, I’m gonna puke.”

Nico freezes up in Will’s arms, and Will has to hold in an exasperated sigh, leveling a Look at Leo. “Can’t you do that silently, and farther away?”

“Hey, whatever, man.” Leo held his hands up, grin teasing, as usual. “Don’t mind me. I could get farther from the cute overload, easily. I’m totally leaving.”

Will rolled his eyes, wrapping his other arm around Nico protectively. He knows comments like that make Nico get all uncomfortable, but he doesn’t know  _ why _ . It bothers him; he should have figured it out by now, and know how to help.

Nico pushes his arms away, after a moment, and Will can’t help but stare at him. His head’s ducked, and he looks smaller than usual as he gets up, walking away without a word.

He’s not really sure why, but something in his gut says not to follow Nico, and also that something is wrong, and he is missing something. 

Something important.

***

It’s as if nothing happened when they’re back in the dorms, and Nico crawls into his bed again when the other boys have fallen asleep. Will knows neither he nor Nico have fallen asleep at all yet, but Nico is not in the mood to talk. 

He’s under the sheets and pressing close to him, his back to Will’s chest, letting Will’s arm wrap around his waist. With the way he settles in place, It’s a little odd. Usually it feels more intimate, or more playful, or more upset. It’s never this…habitual and blank.

Something is still wrong. It’s  _ not _ like nothing happened, Will’s first impression was wrong.

He casts a silencing charm on the curtains around the bed and props up on his elbow, facing Nico’s form, even if Nico’s still stubbornly facing the curtains. “Talk to me.”

Nico says nothing, but that’s to be expected, so he brushes his fingers lightly along his arm, up and down, until Nico starts to relax a little. He uncurls his fingers and gives Nico’s arm one last stroke before tugging him closer, into a cuddly half-hug.

Finally, Nico sighs, and rolls over to face him, so they settle side by side, Will’s two fluffy pillows mushed together so they don’t need to have more than a few inches of space to breathe in between them. Nico’s not at all uncomfortable, thankfully, so Will can brush fingers through his hair and along his side while he waits.

Eventually, finally, Nico does speak. “It’s nothing. I’m dwelling again. Comments, and stuff. It’ll pass.”

Will gave a small, affectionate grin, booping Nico’s nose and grinning wider when it scrunched up instantly. “It’s alright. You know if you ever wanna talk anything out, I’m here, no judgment and no rules.”

“Yeah,” Nico sighed, closing his eyes and settling in, the same way he did every night before falling asleep. “I know. ‘Night, Will.”

“Sweet dreams, Sunshine,” Will breathed, letting his arm wrap around Nico’s waist to keep him close. “I’ll see you in the morning’s light.”

Nico snorted a little. “Fucking dork.”

“You’re ruining my poetic moment,” Will said reproachfully, fighting a yawn.

“Yeah, yeah, you’ll live.” Nico was smiling, and even if Will couldn’t see it (and he can’t, not really, he’s got at best outlines of Nico in the dark), he can hear it in the warmth of Nico’s tone.

He falls asleep to the sound of Nico’s breathing and the feel of Nico’s warm skin beneath the thin cotton of his pajamas, and, as always when Nico sleeps next to him, it’s dreamless and restful.

***

The library is gorgeous, and Will loves it. Books float above their heads, slotting into shelves and sliding out, setting on desks and flipping open and closed, and the sound of rustling paper is all around. Being in the library is always a really peaceful experience, and it’s nice.

It’s even nicer when he studies with Nico, as Nico tends to keep a lazy game of footsie going on underneath the table as he reads. 

He’s not wearing shoes right now, just socks, and Will’s pretty sure even Nico doesn’t know where his shoes are at the moment. But, hey, that’s what  _ Accio _ is for, right? If he really needs them, he’ll summon them. 

Nico’s woolen-covered toes poke into Will’s shin, gentle, and insistent until Will kicks off his boots and begins to try and pin Nico’s feet to the floor. It’s not distracting enough to disrupt his studying, but enough to keep him from getting bored of the studying and finding literally anything else to do. 

It works.  _ They _ work, not that Will’s surprised. He’s in love with the kid, after all, so they should be compatible. 

When Will looks up, he finds Nico reading and scking on a sugar quill, leaning on his elbows and looking for all the world like the perfect student. The sunlight streams in from a nearby window, bathing his olive skin in a warm glow, and when he glances up to meet Will’s stare, his eyes are a rich dark chocolate instead of the black they usually appear. 

He’s so beautiful Will’s chest actually aches, and he shifts in his seat and prays his smile is as easy as he wants it to be. It’s moments like this that he wants nothing more than to lean over the table and find out what flavor sugar quill Nico’s got in his mouth by licking into it. 

Nico’s blush is gorgeous when it happens, a rosy red flush that spreads over both cheeks and the bridge of his nose, the tips of his ears, and Will could stare at it for ages. Thankfully, they’ve known each other long enough for Will to know exactly how to trigger it and not freak him out, so he reaches over and runs the tips of his fingers along Nico’s jaw, toward his mouth.

Nico’s eyes widen just slightly, but he doesn’t stop Will, and he snatches the sugar quill away with a smirk.

As expected, that lovely blush heats up, and Nico immediately throws a hand out to try and get the quill back. Will can’t help but laugh, but he has the sense to do it quietly, leaning back to stick the quill in his mouth. 

It’s cotton candy flavored, and it’s fantastic, so now he wants to return it even less.

There’s a mild slappy battle, and then Nico slides around the table corner to lean into Will’s seat and yank on his arms until Will’s close enough for him to get the candy back, and without even blinking, it’s back in his mouth.

There’s about eighty-four inappropriate thoughts in Will’s head the second Nico’s sucking on the quill again, and he’s probably blushing as well, so he doesn’t protest when Nico pulls back and sits normally again, going back to his work like nothing even happened.

This leaves Will rubbing his face and trying to get his shit together like he doesn’t want to grab the quill away and kiss him senseless.

Fuck, he  _ hates _ teenage hormones and Nico’s effortless sensuality.  He’s gonna die of repressed temptation, or something, and it’s all Nico’s fault.

_ Here lies Will Solace, who couldn’t find any fucking solace. _

Shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna waffle about anything so let's dive into it. I did lose my notes, so I'm winging it. I dropped into lowercase bc feelings.
> 
> HUFFLEPUFF - dedication, fair play, loyalty, patience, and hard work.  
> Will - intensely loyal, actual mama badger, my sweet cinnamon bun son.  
> Nico - this kid is so loyal it actually hurts. did you see all that shit he did for percy? everything he went through for that boy?? all the tears and all the pain he got because he's _so loyal to his family and to those he loves_ oh my go. sure, he fucked up with percy from percy's pov in the first series, okay, but like...dude. and he's got such endurance!!!! and he's never given up, busting his ass against these nigh impossible odds, HE MADE IT THROUGH TARTARUS BY HIS FUCKING SELF OKAY  
>  Piper - this girl. she's so patient, she's so genuine, she cares so deeply for her friends and she's loyal and works so hard to be seen for who _she_ is and not who her father is, and she's just. i love her so much??  
>  Hazel - i'm p sure she's just the best cinnamon bun sweetheart in the entire world. i cannot express my love of hazel to you, but just know it is intense. she's so strong and beautiful and hard working and loyal and i bet she looks stunning in that black & yellow  
> Frank - actual human equivalent of a teddy bear, simultaneously actual mother badger, will kick your ass to protect his family, will win every battle to protect them, do not engage if you're a threat.
> 
> RAVENCLAW - intelligence, wit, wisdom, creativity, originality (my house!!! pride!!!!)  
> Leo - ...leo is a genius? and like. this kid's fucking _funny,_ alright, and so smart, and...he's the kind to lock people out of a room until they answer an obscure ass riddle, so.  
>  Calypso - girl was stuck on a fucking island and managed to get herself an entire life going and basically flipped off the entire twelve olympians and ditched with Leo and okay look, she's so original, she's so smart, okay, i love her
> 
> SLYTHERIN - cunning, resourcefulness, ambition, pride  
> Percy - he's literally a troublemaking asshole child that will fuck shit up because he can and will take on the world to protect his own, be that friend or family. like, it's canon that he smirks rather than smiles, he's taken anger management, he's the kid your parents tell you not to fuck with, etc. and holy _shit_ what a resourceful asshole.  
>  Annabeth - have you every met a more ambitious or prideful goddess of your heart? i haven't. she wanted to design a new olympus. what'd she fucking do? design a new, better olypmus. citing percy's same protective streak, and just...she's so slytherin it hurts, man. i love her so much.  
> Thalia - hello. she's so fiercely powerful and protective of her own, she became lieutenant of the hunters, she won't take your shit, she's too good for you, etc. etc. she's v slytherin.
> 
> GRYFFINDOR - courage, chivalry, determination, nerve  
> Jason - this boy is so brave, so headstrong, a lil reckless, a lot chivalrous, and doesn't care what the gods say, representation matters. suck it up.  
> Reyna - actual goddess of strength (and beauty), she will kick your ass, she's the embodiment of a warrior queen, etc. gryffindor's traits are modeled after reyna's traits.
> 
> AIIGHT. I'll probably put reasoning with anyone else I introduce, feel free to respond to these hcs in the comments and agree or disagree with me, but for the purposes of this fic, I'm gonna stick with what I got :)
> 
> Special thanks to lunardance, Vampiresswolf, anon, EveTheAverage, and Abby for in-depth and extremely helpful sorting hcs,and general utter awesomeness!


	3. I wanna, I wanna, I wanna touch you, you wanna touch me too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry. I'm not even remotely sorry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I Wanna - All American Rejects

It’s late Friday night when he hears it.

It’s muffled, but unmistakable; Nico’s crying in the boy’s dormitory bathroom.

Will’s immediately ready to kill someone, no questions necessary, but he reigns in the rage and focuses on the aching concern instead as he unlocks and pushes open the door, quietly locking it again behind him with a more complicated spell, one _Alohamora_ can’t undo.

Nico’s curled in the far corner of one of the showers, fully clothed with the water off, knees up to his chest and face hidden behind the folded arms on top of them. The sound of his sobs is something Will hates, and each one feels like something is fundamentally wrong with the world, because someone as beautiful as Nico should never, ever feel the kind of pain that drags those sounds from his throat.

Quietly, he gets closer, knocking lightly on the shower wall when he reaches the stall.

Nico flinches but doesn’t lift his head, sniffling pathetically and choking back another sob.

Slowly, Will crouches down until he’s sitting in front of Nico, and then he puts a careful hand on Nico’s head to stroke his hair.

Instantly, Nico’s sobs are back, and worse than ever, but he must recognize something about Will’s touch, because he uncurls and practically launches himself into Will’s lap, face burying in his neck as his arms wind tight around Will’s shoulders.

Will adjusts until he’s cross-legged, Nico’s legs pulled over one of his, and he can hug Nico to himself as tightly as Nico needs. He doesn’t bother to ask because he knows Nico will speak when he’s ready and not a moment before, so he simply settles in to wait it out and comfort as much as possible while he does.

Thankfully, it’s only another fifteen minutes before Nico winds down, sobs fading to sniffles and a hiccup or two before there’s silence and he’s shifting around until he’s comfortable.

“I’m so tired of feeling like this,” Nico breathes, forehead against Will’s shoulder.

Will’s chest _aches,_ and he can’t do anything but breathe through it for a moment, splaying his hand on Nico’s lower back to keep him close, to offer support. Finally, he sighs, threading his hand into Nico’s hair again. “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You’re doing it,” Nico replies softly, shifting again and using Will’s shoulder as a pillow.

“Alright,” he says, because it doesn’t seem like he’s doing much of anything at all, but he trusts Nico enough. He cards his fingers through Nico’s thick curls, repetitive.

He can feel Nico relax with the hand still on his back, and he’s relieved. He still doesn’t know what kicked off this particular round of misery, and Nico doesn’t seem inclined to share, so he’s just gonna hold on and hope he’s providing some kind of comfort for it.

By the time ten more minutes pass, he realizes he had to be at least a little effective because Nico’s asleep.

Will closed his eyes, turning and pressing a kiss to Nico’s temple, praying, like he always did, that Nico could catch a fucking break.

***

“But — and hear me out, here, this is good — but what if we made the birds _explode_?”

“That’s fucking traumatizing, Perce. Fuck no.” Jason shoots down the idea without even blinking, let alone looking away from the paper he’s writing the prank ideas down on.

Jason, Percy, Will, and Nico are in a prank war.

Leo, Piper, Annabeth, and Calypso are kicking their asses.

This week alone Percy’s pants have been charmed to a chair permanently, Jason’s glasses have turned to solid wood, Will’s entire wardrobe learned to fly off his body spontaneously, and Nico’s quills sing everything they write.

(Nico spent fifteen minutes writing an extremely detailed, very elaborate death scene for Leo, which the quill sang in a beautiful operatic falsetto. Will’s sides still ache from his laughter.)

Percy had declared an emergency meeting and dragged Jason and Nico down to the lake. Will followed, because Will follows Nico everywhere, and this isn’t new. Any time you want Will anywhere, it’s just a matter of dragging Nico there.

Sure, Nico’s likely to try to kill you, but what’s life without a little adventure, right?

Anyway.

Jason’s been shooting down all of Percy’s ridiculous ideas, and Will’s been listening in absentmindedly. Truthfully, most of his focus is on Nico, who’s lounging with his head in Will’s lap, watching the castle doors from afar.

He seems to be waiting for something, and every now and then he casts a _Tempus_ charm. Will’s pretty sure he’s the only one that’s noticed, and he’s far too intrigued to tell Jason or Percy and have them ruin it by getting excited or invasive. Instead, Will just plays with Nico's hair and waits with him.

It’s when Percy’s suggesting Piper’s clothes change into potato sacks that it happens; Annabeth Chase busts through the doors, her normally perfect blonde curls shining vibrant red and gold, zeroing in on them and storming toward them, screaming Nico’s name.

Nico’s beautiful smile blooms over his face, and he rolls onto his feet with a laugh, saluting them and spinning on his heel to sprint away. Will’s too surprised to follow just yet, and he’s also really busy taking in the color change in Annabeth’s hair, so he just watches as she gives chase.

Nico’s ridiculously fast, probably because he’s also quite small, so she doesn’t manage to catch him as he circles the lake, laughing hysterically. Jason and Percy both have their jaws hanging open, staring after them, and Will’s pride rises up for Nico’s ingenuity.

Annabeth won’t kill him, he knows, and _probably_ won’t maim him, but since she’s the one to charm his quills, she really should have expected a retaliation — especially from the spitfire that is Will’s best friend. Nico doesn’t take _any_ kind of shit lightly.

There’s really no question as to who charmed her hair, either; whether or not Nico left a calling card, Nico’s  still the only one with the guts to do it in the first place.

Will’s too easy going to bother coming up with any return fire, Jason’s properly wary of Annabeth, and Percy’s not about to get his girlfriend’s wrath directed onto himself. Altogether, it was obvious, but it’s also beautiful, and — from Nico’s perspective — very likely worth the run.

Nico’s over halfway around the lake, and Annabeth’s still going after him. He’s no longer laughing, but he is still smiling, and Will can’t help but grin.

***

“The thing is,” Nico says, pulling one of Will’s pillows under his chest to comfortably rest his chin on. “Your bed is just infinitely more comfortable than mine.”

Will snorted. “Yeah?”

“Mhm,” Nico shifted around until he was satisfied with his position, kicking his legs lazily back and forth and watching Will study.

Will rolled his eyes from where he was leaning against his headboard, lightly kicking Nico in the side as he finished his essay sentence. “You’re such a dork.”

“Whatever, nerd. Fight me.” Nico’s voice was muffled against the pillow, as he’d buried the lower half of his face in it.

“Been, there, done that, I won.” Will replied lightly, grinning and moving to the next line, still not looking up.

“Oh _please,_ ” Nico said dramatically, rolling onto his back to fling his hands into the air, the pillow flying into the wall with a soft _pluff_ . “That was _one time,_ and it was only because you’re taller and heavier than me!”

“I pinned you to the floor and tickled you until you screamed ‘mercy,’ Nico, that’s not exactly a victory you can just knock away.” He finally looked over, catching Nico’s pout.

Nico pointed a finger at him, still on his back, head tilted enough to see him. “You, sir, are a dirty, dirty cheater. I’m outclassed, you’d totally be in a different weight classification. And you _fell on me._ From a _tree._ ”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “When the hell has a weight class _ever_ stopped you??”

“Irrelevant!” Nico said, rolling back onto his stomach to better point at him. “You cheated!”

“How?” He asked through his laughter, catching Nico’s hand in his. “You’re the one that knocked me out of the tree! You’re the one that _put_ me in the tree!”

Nico used the grip to pull himself into a sitting position and scoot closer. “Because! You’re tall and pretty and annoying, so you can get whatever you want!”

Woah, okay. That was certainly pleasing to hear.

“I’m what now? Could you repeat that second thing?” He shoved his essay aside, tossing the pen (seriously, _fuck quills,_ ain’t nobody got time for that when you have to write three feet on fucking _mountain trolls_ or some such bullshit) with it.

Nico, now practically in his lap, one knee pressed against his chest, arched a brow. “What, like you don’t know you’re pretty? Shut the fuck up.”

Will circled his hand around that knee, and the top of his thigh, keeping the folded leg in place. He was, somehow, miraculously _not_ blushing, and he was determined to get the most out of this situation while he was still confident. “I am. I just like hearing you say it. You’re not really one for compliments, you know.”

Nico rolled his eyes, shifting his other leg, which was folded up much like the one Will held but pressed against the headboard instead of Will’s chest. “Let go of my hand, you ass, this is uncomfortable.”

“See?” He did as Nico asked, though, letting go of his leg as well.

He regretted it _immediately_ when Nico just straddled him, poking him in the ribs. “Shut up. You’re such a dork, you’re so annoying, why are we friends?”

“Uh,” Will said, because that’s about all the vocabulary he remembered.

“I bet it’s because I’m so amazing you want to bask in my glory,” Nico teased. “Right?”

“Um.” Will’s grasp on words was vague at best. “Sure.”

Nico blinked, and his brows furrowed. “Will?”

Fuck, shit, okay, priorities. Sure, Nico’s _in his lap_ right now, and Will can feel his weight resting comfortably _right above his dick_ and Nico’s thighs are pressed against his on either side, but it’s fine, he’s totally fine, it’s not sexy at all. Why would it be sexy? Nico’s just exactly the right size to be perfectly level with him when sitting on his lap, and this is only a position Will’s had literal _dreams_ about being in, but, hey, it’s whatever!

Fuck.

_Goddamnit._

Ketchup ice cream, Iggy Azealia, Donald Trump, that weird Gibby kid from the old show _iCarly_ , sewage, Queen Elizabeth, mountain trolls, naked mole rats, _Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared_ …

He let out a breath, forcing himself into calming down and getting ahold of his traitorous hormonal reactions before the situation got really, _really_ awkward.

Nico’s still staring at him, though, and he looks concerned, so before Will’s blush can kick in, he tackles Nico to the bed and tickles him, trying not to think about how Nico was featuring in his dreams way too often in positions like this, and that he’s fucking lucky Nico’s never realized what Will dreams about when he’s curled in Will’s arms.

Nico’s answering laughter clears his head completely, though, and he smiles, grappling to try and pin him down anyway, because victories like the one Nico was so determined to discredit were rare occurrences.

***

“So, genuinely curious, how are you handling all that tension?” Percy asked, dropping down beside Will on the couch in the Room of Requirement’s communal living room setting.

“Uh, what?” Will says, because who the fuck even starts a conversation with that.

“The tension?” Percy waved his hands around vaguely. “Between you and Nico? The sexual tension that’s like an actual bubble that surrounds you two? It’s actually kind of gross.”

Will instinctively glanced around for Nico before remembering he hadn’t arrived back from the kitchens yet, where he’d gone with Jason to get food. “Don’t say that, he doesn’t like hearing it. It makes him uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, Reyna threatened me already. He’s not here, though, so we’re good. How do you handle it?” Percy prompted him again with a bright grin and nudge-nudge and almost wink-wink before Will’s glare stopped it.

Honestly, though, bless Reyna. Bless gloriously bisexual Reyna with all the pride of a lioness, because Will and Nico never had to deal with bigotry with her around. She was quick to shut down any and all homophobia or biphobia with grace, beauty, and utter decimation of all arguments.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Will said stubbornly, looking away from Percy’s crooked, teasing smile and bright green eyes.

(He was every bit as devastatingly attractive as he was annoying at times, and that only made him _more_ annoying.)

Percy snorted. “Sure, okay. Like you wouldn’t want to --”

Will kicked him in the shin, and he cursed, breaking off mid sentence and cursing again.

“Don’t,” he said quietly, bringing his leg back. “Don’t talk about him like that.”

“Right,” Percy said, a little annoyed. “Sorry. Fuck, did you really need to kick me that hard?”

The doors to the Room opened, though, saving Will from trying to nicely say that his instinctive response to Nico being disrespected was usually much harsher.

Jason entered with an armful of snacks and several hovering platters of sandwiches following him, and then Nico followed with a case of Butterbeer under one arm, clearly with a featherlight charm on it. He waved at Will, and Will gave him as much of a grin as he could before standing and grabbing one of the hovering plates to set it down and give himself something to do.

As they set the food up, Nico got next to him. “You look upset. What happened?”

“Nothing,” Will said, as cheerfully as he could manage as he arranged napkins into swirls to do something with his hands.

“Will.”

“It’s nothing, alright? Don’t worry about it.” Another stack, lift, twist, lift, twist, repeat until swirl.

“William.” Nico’s hands curled around his arm. “Stop it.”

He cringed a little at his full name being used, but he put down the napkins and let Nico pull him away, into one of the comfortable corners with the nice floor pillows.

“Talk to me,” Nico prompted, pulling him into the cushions.

Will sighed, casting the muffling charm around them and letting himself fall back on the pillows. “You’re not gonna like the subject.”

Nico, to his credit, thought about it before answering. “That’s okay. I’m in a place where I can handle it.”

Will stared at the ceiling, which was mimicking the Great Hall’s starry sky at the moment. “It’s…about us.”

“I can handle it,” Nico insisted, even if he sounded slightly less sure this time around.

Will sighed, turning to look at him.

Nico met his gaze evenly, stubborn even in the set of his jaw. His hair was ruffled, likely from him dragging his hands through it, and he had a single perfect curl in the center of his forehead. Unable to help himself, Will reached out to fix it back into place, watching as Nico’s cheeks turned a pretty pink.

“Tell me,” Nico breathed, letting Will’s hand linger.

“Percy asked me how I dealt with it,” he said quietly, brushing the backs of his fingers along Nico’s cheek.

Nico swallowed, the blush growing brighter. “Deal with what?”

Will hesitated, but when Nico’s expression hardened a little, he steeled himself. “The tension.”

Nico’s never been very perceptive to other people’s emotions, but he’s not thick, so he caught on instantly. His expression changed, lips parting in surprise, and Will had to actively keep from glancing at them.

Still, Nico asked anyway. “Be…between us?”

“Yeah,” Will nodded, catching Nico’s chin between his thumb and the side of his index finger for just a moment before dropping his hand.

Nico swallowed again, and his cheeks were the reddest Will’s ever seen them. It was a stunning look, and Will couldn’t tear his eyes away, even if he felt like he was being x-rayed by the intensity of Nico’s stare.

Nico’s so pretty it actually takes Will’s breath away on a regular basis, but something about this moment just made everything more intense; Nico was saturated, all rich color tones of deep, inky black, rich brown, apple red, and pretty olive. His eyes were the same brown as espresso, ringed with thick lashes and placed under straight brows. High cheekbones met in a small nose, and a clean jawline curved into the curls of his messy hair. Helplessly, Will even cataloged the rosy pink of his lips, watching as they arced and shifted as Nico tried to find words.

Distantly, Will knew they were in a very unfortunate location for this kind of talk, as if anyone decided to round the little corner they were tucked in, they’d be in plain view. Thankfully, the Room seemed to have been Nico’s creation, because right as Will’s eyes flicked to the open space behind Nico, thick black velvet curtains rolled down from the ceiling to hang all the way down to the floor.

They were plunged it what could literally only be described as mood lighting, the soft glow of a few hovering candles illuminating the space just enough for them to see each other. Will’s eyes were drawn back to Nico’s mouth as he wet his lips, and his own blush rose up because there’s _no_ way Nico missed that, seeing as he’s still staring at Will.

If this doesn’t end in a kiss, Will’s probably going to spontaneously combust.

Nico shifted, leaning a little closer, and Will mirrored him immediately.

The distance between them closed in slow motion, and Will couldn’t look away from Nico’s mouth.

Right when they were an inch apart, a loud bang sounded from somewhere behind the curtain, and Nico flinched, head snapping around.

Will could actually _feel_ the exact second the moment shattered, and when the shards landed in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished writing this while laughing really hard. Feel free to scream at me in the comments, that's kind of what I was aiming for anyway.


	4. Kiss me on the mouth, and set me free.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I still don't really explain that bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BITE - Troye Sivan  
> \--  
> I'm so, so, so, so sorry. I can't even sit here and give you some kind of fucking excuse, but if you're curious I'll talk about it in the notes at the end.

This is them, so they don’t talk about it. 

Granted, it’s not like they really have the  _ option _ to, but they likely wouldn’t even if they  _ did, _ which is Will’s point.

The bang hadn’t been Percy, as Will had suspected, or Leo, or Jason. 

It had been the castle itself, apparently. Something structural, judging by the rubble in the hall that greeted them when they all poured out of the Room. 

Annabeth made a sound of outrage, staring at the crumbled wall, probably mourning the architecture. 

Leo, reckless as he was, ran straight toward the hole to climb onto it and try to figure out what it was. Percy and Jason followed, and Nico’s hand clamped down on Will’s arm when he took a step as well. 

“Don’t be a fucking dumbass, Solace.” Nico berated, grip firm. “Stay.”

Will sighed, staying if only to avoid Nico’s temper. And maybe because Nico  _ was _ his self-preservation. 

“It’s like. A hole.” Leo called, a little muffled. “In the wall.  _ Through _ the wall, I can see the lake!”

Before anyone could reply, he cursed loudly in Spanish and Jason’s  _ Protego _ could be heard in sync with Percy’s. 

Another bang, loud crumbles, and all three of them scrambling out of the hole. 

“So,” Leo started, shaking the dust off his robes and taking Calypso’s whack to his shoulder in stride. “Something in the Forbidden Forest is lobbing boulders at the castle.”

**_Bang_ ** _. Crumble.  _

“Whatever it is is really strong. But not big enough to be seen. So, fun.” He nodded. “I don’t know about you, but this feels like a Professor-y kinda job to deal with.”

Percy was bouncing on his toes a little. “But then again, imagine the points to Slytherin if we stopped it!”

Jason rolled his eyes. “We’re made up of all four houses. Even if we did earn points, it wouldn’t change the difference between the hourglasses. They’d all just go higher.”

“Not if me and Annabeth solve it!” Percy grinned. 

“No,” Annabeth said flatly. “Let’s find Zeus.”

***

Percy had pouted halfway to the headmaster’s office before getting caught up in the discussion of theory as to what was being such an asshole. 

As they walked, the bangs grew more distant, but they were very much still happening. It really only took passing a single classroom for them to be noticed, and Will’s biodad Apollo (he’d literally never been in Will’s life before school, and now he was just a professor and a gene donor as far as Will was concerned, and his  _ dad  _ was married to Will’s Ma back in Texas) pulled them out of the halls. “Lockdown until we know what’s happening,” he explained. 

“We  _ know _ what’s happening!” Annabeth gestured back into the hall. “Why do you think we were heading toward the headmaster at such a high speed?”

Apollo’s brows raised. “Wait, how do you know??”

He looked straight at Will, and Will chose that moment to be fascinated by Nico’s collar, fixing how it lay. 

“Something’s throwing rocks at the castle from the Forest,” Leo explained. “Whatever it is can lift boulders but isn’t big enough to break the canopy.”

“Oh,” Apollo said quietly. “Well. That’s not good. I need to talk to Artemis.” He tugged the little book all the Professors carried, the one that functioned as a muggle mobile phone’s texting. He scribbled in gold ink, his quill an obnoxious peacock monstrosity that made Will cringe internally. 

Will didn’t need to look to know his bioaunt’s reply would be in silver ink. Honestly, they were both so predictable. But then again, supremely unreliable and flighty,  which is why Will was keeping that side of his DNA as far out of his life as he could. He was muggleborn as far as how he was raised, okay? His Ma had had no idea Apollo was a wizard, because apparently that hadn’t been relevant enough information to share. 

Nico batted Will’s hands away from his neck, squirming a little, and Will realized he’d still been messing with the collar. Blushing, he shoved his hands in his pockets and ducked his head, tuning out the chatter of whatever fucking class this was and the rest of the group. 

Nico’s arm looped through his after a moment, and Nico’s head came to rest against his bicep, which was incredibly, surprisingly soothing. 

They didn’t say anything, standing in what might as well have been their own little bubble of the world. 

***

The students were sent to crowd in the Great Hall later that night, where Zeus gave a long speech involving a lot of overly formal, creative phrases that boiled down to ‘we have no idea what the fuck is happening’ and ‘please stay put while we pretend we do.’

Needless to say, this was not even remotely reassuring. 

Students talked over him and over each other until  he slammed a hand down on the Professor's table loud enough to make everyone jump. “Enough.”

In the silence, Will took the time to scan everyone’s faces. 

Worry was the most prominent, but there was a lot of exasperation and anger as well. Frustrated fear was the mood of the hall, and the atmosphere was heavy. 

Nico’s none of those, though. He just looks…bored. 

He’s not looking up at the professor’s table, just staring at the table and picking at the wood idly. Will picks up on this as the nervous twitch it is, and lays his hand out on the table, palm up, near Nico’s. 

Will’s no longer paying attention to the talking around them, and he watches as Nico’s pretty eyes flick up to meet his, as his fingers slide onto Will’s palm and accept the hold, the offer of comfort.

He can’t help but grin, gently massaging the back of Nico’s hand until the fingers relax in his, and Nico’s shoulders lose some of their tension. He knows he should probably tune in at least a little, since Nico sure as hell isn’t gonna pay attention and at least one of them should know what’s going on.

It’s hard, though, when Nico’s looking at him so sweetly and Nico’s small hand is still in his, and all Will wants to do is slide across the table and pull him into a hug.

Oh, fuck it. Someone will surely fill them in later.

He lets go of Nico’s hand and slides down, under the table, coming back up next to him and pulling Nico into his side, smiling at Nico’s quiet giggle, which is worth any and all possible chastising.

***

It’s a rough night. It’s hard to sleep with so many people crowded around, and the distant bangs are not exactly the most comforting lullaby.

Will ends up piled with the rest of their group in a corner. Nico’s literally in his lap and already fast asleep, his head on Will’s shoulder, and Will’s got his back against the wall and a hand in Nico’s hair, stroking. Jason’s dead asleep about a foot away, Piper curled next to him. Leo’s splayed out and snoring quietly, Calypso’s reading some book or another by wandlight with her head propped up on his leg. Percy and Annabeth are one blanketed ball in the actual corner, unmoving, and Reyna and Thalia are chatting softly at the edge of their little claimed area. 

Will can’t sleep, and he doesn’t really wanna move anyway, because Nico’s weight is comfortably warm and his hair is silky.  Instead, Will thinks about what’s going on.

All they’ve been told is there’s shields going up around the castle at the current time and there’s boulders being flung from the Forbidden Forest, and they’re all still ‘Forbidden’ (ha) to go see it themselves.  Some kids tried to sneak out and go see, but they got led back inside very quickly and shamed rather loudly, so that was the end of that. 

It’s gonna be a long night, Will can already tell, and he’s not gonna get sleep for a while. Resigned, he tips his head back to rest against the stone and closes his eyes, settling his arms around Nico’s form.

***

Classes are skipped for the day as most of the professors are in the forest “handling” the issue, and so the students are stuck in the Great Hall.

If Will’s learned anything about adolescence and hormones and the entire period between ‘child’ and ‘adult,’ it’s that you should never, ever put a few hundred kids in one place, keep them there, and expect them to behave or get along without some sort of mass media thing holding their collective attentions.

The wizarding world is backwards as fuck, though, so there’s no movie like Will remembers from public elementary school. Instead, they sit at their house tables (well, not in the right houses in a lot of cases, but they’re at a table, so) and stare around and try to section out a bubble to talk with silencing charms.

It’s not very successful.

Twenty minutes in, some Gryffindor (Clarisse La Rue) decks some Slytherin (Octavian Whateverthefuckhislastnameis) and knocks his ass to the floor, to laughs and applause from everyone around them.

Well, alright. 

That’s how this day is going, then.

There’s just the prefects and Professor Iris, who teaches…something(?????), some class Will’s never taken, and they’re all really bad at containing all the kids, even with docking points left and right.

Will’s just as Tired as everyone else in the squad, judging by their shared expressions, by the time the second hour rolls around.

Percy slams his hands on the table, expression stormy. “Okay,  _ fuck _ this. I’ve had enough.”

Will feels his brows raise, but Annabeth, beside Percy, is grinning proudly.

Percy climbs easily onto the table, putting himself higher than everyone else, and simply  _ yells. _ He doesn’t need a  _ Sonorus _ to make himself heard. “That’s  _ ENOUGH! _ ”

A hush falls over the room, and pretty much every eye is directed at Percy, who folds his arms and glares around generally, like they’re all disappointing preschoolers. “Seriously. We’re getting a free day and  _ nobody _ can enjoy it, because nobody seems to be able to behave. Find your friends, find a spot, and stop  _ arguing _ about everything or  _ screaming _ . I don’t care what Year or House you are, you should know better! Stop hexing things, too, I’ve been hit by three parchment airplanes already and I’m  _ gonna _ set the next one on fire, I’m not kidding. “

The hush stays, Percy nods decidedly, and sits down.

Annabeth claps him on the shoulder, and the whispers and conversations rise again immediately, but…at a lesser din than before, something just below a dull roar.

Nico snorts. “You’re such a dork.”

Percy sticks his tongue out, pulling a face, and Nico laughs.

Will can’t help his grin, hopeless fool that he is for Nico’s smile, and he rolls his eyes. “Jackson, I’m amazed. You can reprimand everyone for being children and achieve next to nothing, then sit down and act like a child yourself.”

“It’s a gift,” Percy says proudly, puffing his chest.

“Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth says fondly, pecking his cheek, turning back to the essay she’d started some thirty minutes back (she’s at two feet for an assigned twenty inches).

Nico’s hand slides into the crook of Will’s arm, and he loses all focus in anyone or anything else in favor of focusing on Nico. “Hi.”

Nico cracked a small smile, looking amused. “Hi, Sunshine.”

Will can feel his cheeks warm and his smile widen, and he’s genuinely surprised Nico hasn’t realized he’s got Will wrapped so snugly around his pinkie finger he could flex it and snap Will in half.

“I’m bored. Wanna go sit in the corner and get away from the noise?” Nico tugged on his sleeve a little, insistent, like he’s actually got to put any sort of work into convincing Will to do literally anything with him, ever.

( _ Will, come help me burn the castle down! _ Okay!  _ Will, I want to tattoo my face on your bicep! _ Sure, Nico, what color?  _ Will, I want you to fly to the moon and bring it back to me as a gift!  _ Should it be wrapped, or is it good as is?)

(He’s such a fucking sap. He’s so, so gone for this kid.)

Naturally, Will’s agreeing before he even processes himself speaking, and Nico leads him to the corner of the Hall, where they sit in a miraculously quiet bubble away from any other kids.

Nico manhandles Will into leaning against the wall like it’s the most normal thing in the world, then casually sits just beside him, throws his legs over Will’s lap, and leans against the other wall, grinning at him.

Right, he’s supposed to function like a normal human being and go beyond staring at him smittenly.

Will drops his hands over Nico’s legs and shifts a little more comfortably. “Better?”

“Much,” Nico assures, amused. “This is way more comfortable.”

Will rolls his eyes again, but he’s already gotten comfy with the warm weight of Nico’s legs in his lap, and hell if he’s gonna push that away. “So. Got any theories?”

Nico hums, leaning his head back. “A dragon? A troll? Very angry centaurs?”

“I’m betting on aliens, personally,” Will says, holding a straight face as he says it. “Or, at the least, an interdimensional hole that connects us with a planet that’s exploding, and we’re getting hit by the debris.”

Nico cracks up, cheeks growing rosy, teeth flashing white, and Will’s chest warms, and he spends the time of Nico’s laughing thinking about how hopelessly in love he is.

Nico shoves his shoulder lightly. “Fuck! Why didn’t  _ I _ think of that? Of  _ course _ it’s aliens!”

Will grinned, pleased he’d gotten such a reaction. “Easy; you’re  _ far _ too rational.”

Nico gasps dramatically. “I’m not! Remember when I had that freak out because I thought we’d be getting nachos in the feast and it turned out that was a muggle food, which is why I’d never heard of it until you took me to that place on the beach? Remember when I kicked you off your bead to steal the warmth and forgot you’re the source?”

He looks like he’s gonna go on for a while with his shenanigans, so Will squeezes his hand and interrupts. “Fine, fine! I take it back! Rationality Award of the Month goes to…” 

Nico drumrolls on his thighs with a grin.

“Annabeth Chase!” Will decides, waving his hands with a flourish, and Nico’s back to laughing.

Will would probably sell his soul, the sun, both his legs, six fingers, and his kidneys just to put that beautiful smile on Nico’s face for the rest of his life.

He’s only sixteen, but  _ god, _ he wants to marry this boy. He wants to spend every minute of the rest of his life by Nico’s side, watching those gorgeous brown eyes light up, that radiant smile warm his face, those nimble fingers waving through the air as he claps.

Shit, life would be  _ so _ much easier if Nico already knew how deep these feelings ran, if he returned Will’s feelings to any degree, and if it was appropriate for Will to just lean over and kiss him, because he  _ really really really  _ wants to.

He knows right now is probably a crap time to sit and contemplate marriage and soulmates, but at this point, Will’s pretty sure there’s always at least one part of his brain focused on Nico and thoughts of Nico at all times.

_ Oh well, _ he thinks, shrugging internally.  _ I’m totally okay with that. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've spent the past month feeling so guilty about not updating, and I really, truly am sorry for this gap. I ended my two-year college and got my AA, and transferred to the college I'm spending the next two (or more) years at, I've been stressing about random, stupid things, mostly money and my inability to fucking get ahead of anything, and I've just had _massive_ writer's block this entire time. It's not even gone, really, which is why this chapter is five hundred words shorter than normal. I'm so, so sorry. I'm trying to get into writing this, but I've just...it's really hard right now, for some reason, even though I actually have an idea to head towards. I did what I could for this, I'm not happy with it, but I can't keep letting this sit here and not explain anything, not after how incredibly sweet you guys have been to me.  
>  So, yeah. Like I said, it's not really anything big, I've just been all over the place mentally and I haven't done much productive except some typography and watching a _lot_ of TV and movies. I'm trying to get back into this, I really am, and I hope I break past this soon. If you'd be willing to help, you could pop over to my tumblr (I'm too drained to fight with AO3 to link it properly but I'm distantdreamingg and I'm sure I linked it elsewhere) and leave me prompts, because those are always MUCH easier to work on when I have no will to write my current fic. Thank you so much for all the support you've shown me, and I'm sorry I haven't been able to do it justice :(


	5. There is no better place than right by your side.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm sorry?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm...abruptly ending this fic so I don't have to awkwardly not update for the next month and a half. On the upside, it's got a resolution? I just had to cancel the plot I was originally gonna do and scrap it for something smaller and simpler. I'm really sorry. Explanations at the end.

As it turns out, the Whomping Willow was dying, and being a shithead while it died, flinging boulders and such at the castle.

Thankfully, through the combined expertise of Professors Demeter and Persephone and their favorite students, they were able to begin making potions and salves for the tree, and help it heal from the sickness affecting the trunk and pissing it off.

That’s what Will understood about the situation, anyway.

They were allowed to return to their dorms the following day, and classes resumed, and things began to return to normal.

Right?

Well, except for the fact Nico and him are sort of awkwardly dancing around each other and it’s some kind of hell because Will can’t figure out how to subtly hint that he’d really like to see what happens if they kissed but hey, no pressure, haha.

Fuck.

He’s gonna go crazy.

He’s actually just gonna implode or something and melt to the floor while Nico continues reading cluelessly where they’re studying in the back corner of the library.

But seriously; he knows Nico’s dense and all, but this is just ridiculous. Something  _ clearly _ happened, and it was mutual, but Nico’s, like…pretending it didn’t, and Will’s not sure if he should go with it or if this is just Nico’s fucking tendency for flighty escapism whenever something remotely emotionally intimate begins. It’s aggravating to try and guess, and for once he wants to just point-blank ask and put Nico on the spot, even though he knows Nico gets anxious, because if he lets Nico guide this it’ll probably never, ever get resolved and Will’s just not mentally strong enough for that shit. 

Fuck it, like using that phrase has ever amounted to what anyone would refer to as ‘good life choices.’

He nudges Nico, sitting a little straighter and knocking  _ A History of Magic _ closed, because he doesn’t give a shit who won the Goblin wars of 1403. His essay is mostly just him regurgitating what Nico tells him they went over in class, and he’s coasting along passing, so it’s good enough.

Nico glances over, and his expression is super innocent because he has no idea Will’s about to drop a verbal bomb, and, fuck. That’s, like. He’s guilty.

“I wanted to…” He needs to gut the fuck up.  “I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the party.”

Nico — predictably, honestly —  tenses. Helplessly, Will continues, trying to salvage Nico’s remaining calm. “I’m not mad or anything, I’m just curious as to what it means and if that kind of thing was welcome or if you’d want me to never do it again, you know?”

“I, um,” Nico says, and it’s stilted. “Yeah, I. Um.”

Will waits as patiently as he can.

“Do we really have to do this right now?” Nico asks finally, and Nico honestly could’ve just reached over and punched him for the same effect.

“Uh,” he says, because how do you even reply to that?

“It’s just,” Nico says like he’s hurrying to tack on to that. “It’s public, you know?”

Oh.

“Oh,” he manages. “So. Can we…go somewhere not?”

Nico’s cheeks heat up, and it’s as cute on him as it always is, even if Will’s heart is about right to bust out of his chest. He’s nervous, and it’s jumbling his thoughts just enough to make him antsy.

Vaguely, he wonders if this fidgety feeling is what Nico always feels.

Nico nods, though, so Will stands instead of focusing on his nerves, holding out a hand and helping Nico up. Nico takes it, thankfully, and holds on as they gather their things and scape the library.

Will’s heart is in his throat, but they make their way to some forgotten classroom, ducking in and sneezing at the flurries of dust, because even the house elves seem to have missed on it. Nico mumbles a cleaning spell as he recovers first, and then they sit on either side of a desk and face each other, Nico casually completely avoiding his eyes.

“Right,” he says for lack of anything better to say. “So can we be blunt or…?”

“Were you gonna kiss me?” Nico asks, very nearly interrupting, and okay then.

“I,” Will says, stumbling through his words. “Um. Yes?”

“Oh,” Nico says quietly, studying him.

He has absolutely no idea what to do with Nico’s weird expression.

Finally, after several long, tense moments where nothing happens but Nico staring at him and him trying really, really hard not to fidget right out of his fucking chair, Nico moves.

Really, before Will even has much of chance to think about it,  _ Nico _ is kissing  _ him, _ and he’s so surprised he freezes up completely.

He feels Nico start to pull away, though, and that spurs him into reacting.

He immediately buries a hand in Nico’s hair, right above his neck, pressing closer into the kiss because  _ holy shit finally _ and it’s  _ amazing. _ They sit in that empty classroom making out for…honestly, he totally lost track of time and all sense of anything outside of  _ Nico _ about thirty seconds in, so he has no idea. All he knows is when they finally pull apart, both of them are flushed with swollen lips, and Nico is in his lap.

***

Later that week, Nico finally lets Will tell the squad that they’ve gotten their shit together and started dating, and pretty much instantly Leo slams his hands down and starts collecting bets. 

Will rolls his eyes, completely unsurprised to see both Percy and Jason sliding galleons toward Leo or Annabeth smugly counting sickles. Nico’s entire face is some shade of red or another, and Will smacks a kiss to his cheek only to get elbowed in the side, and it’s so worth it. 

Especially because he knows when they get out of class Nico will let him drag them both into some alcove so they can kiss until one or both of them forgets how to breathe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, basically, the reason I can't get myself to write this is I'm rarely in the mood to be able to fit inside Will's head easily enough to write from his perspective. Therefore, this was hard as fuck for me to get motivation for, as opposed to just letting Nico word vomit through my fingers. I'm so sorry. This is better than leaving this hanging forever, though, so yeah. I'm probably gonna take a break from chaptered Solangelo so I can fling myself headfirst into Voltron's Klance, but I'm up for prompted oneshots and bullet-point fics, so hmu on tumblr for that. Also, take this [quiz](https://www.qzzr.com/c/quiz/269318/which-kind-of-fic-do-you-want-to-read-next) to see what kind of fic you guys would be interested in seeing me write next, as I wrote the quiz when I was on a block for this chapter. As always, you can feel free to beg me or prompt me in comments, but unfortunately, I have to be done with this fic earlier than anticipated.


End file.
